1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an image detecting device for outputting image information representative of an image recorded in a given recording area, and to an image capturing system that incorporates such an image detecting device therein.
2. Description of the Related Art:
In the medical field, there have widely been used image capturing apparatuses, which apply a radiation from a radiation source to a subject (a patient) and which detect the radiation that has passed through the subject with an image detector, in order to acquire radiation image information of the subject.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-281343 discloses an active matrix substrate with a detector mounted thereon and a base plate laminated on the rear surface of the active matrix substrate by a gel sheet. The gel sheet is made of a thermally conductive viscoelastic material, and the base plate is made of a highly thermally conductive material for reducing variations in the temperature distribution of the active matrix substrate.
According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-281343, as described above, the base plate supports the active matrix substrate through the gel sheet for reducing variations in the temperature distribution of the active matrix substrate. It is expected that a detector (image detector) mounted on the active matrix substrate will suffer variations (irregularities) in the temperature distribution thereof. However, there is nothing disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-281343 for quickly removing irregularities in the temperature distribution of the detector.
In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-281343 merely shows the manner in which the base plate is laminated onto the active matrix substrate by the gel sheet, and is silent concerning how to increase the thermal conductivity of the gel sheet in order to radiate heat out of the active matrix substrate.